The Pharaoh's Champion

Zahra jolted upright with a gasp.

 Her eyes saw nothing, she felt nothing. Not the soft caress of a breeze, not the delicate scrape of the sand.

Not the warmth of the Pharaoh's presence.

 She called out to him, feeling her eyes swell at the uncertainty of everything. Gods, she had been emotional wreak these past few hours, and the only thing that could calm her down, was nowhere to be found.

 Losing her sight had hit her hard. Fear had always been a feeling she kept in the background, using to hone her senses and keep her sharp. Fear was useful in that way.

 Now the dam that held it back had broken, overflowing her body with anxiety and panic.

Everything around her felt different, smelt different and was different. Small mysterious flitters and touches made her jump, and gasp in terror of the unknown. But behind all the anxiousness, she had a new appreciation for everything she touched because she couldn't see it. The feel of sand trickling through her hands, the spread of warmth through her body where he touched her, the tickle of a stray strand of hair on her nose.

She waited for him to return. All alone.

 He wouldn't have left me, she curled her arms around her body, trying to give herself comfort, he wouldn't have left me… would he?

 The last thing she remembered was the oasis; she was about to bare her soul to him, to allow the final wall she had built up, to come crumbling down.

 Then there was pain. After that, darkness.

 Fear made her mind spin in a different direction, perhaps he knew what I was going to say? Did he just not want to reject me to my face, and left me here?

 Suddenly, a warmth she recognised smoothed over her face.

The sun!

She drank in it's comforting heat, letting it soothe her emotions. There was no point in guessing how long she had been asleep; for now, she needed know how to get back to the palace. Allowing herself that moment to calm, she pointed to where the she felt the heat in the sky, and placed her other hand on the ground around her. The sun wasn't at noon, and ground on the floor felt warm, but not boiling.

 "That way is East," she said confidently to herself, feeling a sense of pride she hadn't felt in a long time.

 "That's not East," a voice called, making her jump and snap her head to where it came from. "In this world, the sun rises from the North."

 The voice chuckled. "Have no fear child. You are back where you belong." Something about the softness and croak of his voice made her feel like it had been a while since they had spoken to someone.

 "Am i-in the afterlife?" she asked, hesitant.

 "Are you still blind?" he lazily mocked.

 Her lip curled in anger at his sarcasm.

 "Please, forgive me," he laughed harder at his own joke. "I am Maahes. Protector of the Forgotten Oasis."

 Zahra choked on air.

 "The Forgotten Oasis is a myth!" She shouted in disbelief.

 There was silence, and a hard groan of derision.

 "You're still stuck in the human ways, and unable to take in your surroundings, so I'll let that slide this time."

 Despite her situation, something about his presence calmed her, like an old friend. In the same way, she felt free to speak her mind.

"Excuse me? 'Stuck in human ways'?"

"You don't know who you are, do you?"

"I am, Zahra," she had conviction in her voice.

"Oh, child," she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You are so much more than that. You always have been."

She flinched at his touch. "Please, don't do that. It makes me uneasy… I can't see you coming."

"Oh, but you could see, if you truly wanted too."

"I must be hallucinating."

"Embrace it, take it all in. Set your remaining senses free. Let the world introduce itself to you."

"Right, and how exactly does one do that?"

Something knelt down in front of her.

 Gripping her hands in the sand the want to move was crippling, fear kept her in place.

 "Calm yourself, child. You rely too much on what you can see, your lack of sight may help you release your inner potential," she felt a pair of very large hands curl around her shoulders. "We will unlock each sense, one by one. Follow my breathing."

 In through the nose, out through the mouth. She begun to feel lighter, more tranquil.

 Breathing again, and again.

 "Now, on your next inhale, open your mind to all of the scents coming in."

 With her next inhale, something changed, her mind was overloaded with all these smells that came through the air. Vast in number and more intense than ever before. The fragrance of the trees, the saltiness of the sand, the cool of the water, and much more.

 "I can smell them," she said in wonder.

Then she felt confused about one smell in particular, one that brought back memories of when she would hold a cat and cuddle it gently. "I can smell… fur?"

 Something felt funny on her tongue. "Ew, I can taste the fur," she ran her teeth over, as if try to get it off, smacking her lips together against her dry mouth.

 "Good. Scent and taste go hand in hand," she could smell the smile grow across his face and taste the satisfaction in his words. "Now, open your mind to the sounds around you. Everything makes some kind of sound, you need only to hear it."

 The whispering of the wind through the trees, became a conversation. Sand falling the breeze became a symphony of sound. Lapping water at the shore became a greeting.

 Suddenly she felt able to feel, touch and taste everything.

To see.

The world around her was alive, and ever-so-slowly she was able to comprehend this mysterious land she was in. A peaceful, tranquil place that seemed almost other-worldly.

It was magical and ordinary, all at the same time. She felt comfortable and happy.

She felt at home.

 "Let the world introduce itself to you," his words sounded far away when blended with the sounds of nature.

 "I am the East," proudly spoke the breeze that blew in coils, she could smell a delicate floral touch to it.

 She gasped in shock, it was the sound of the voice that told her to follow the bird. Her body trembled in uncertainty.

 The pair of large hands peeled away from her, satisfied with her breakthrough.

 "Right… A talking wind… That poison really did do a number on me," she rubbed her aching head and thigh.

 A Western breeze smoothed over the side of her body, a slight grainy feel to it. "A valid hypothesis, at this point, your body is being flooded with endorphins, to help ease the immense pain that you're going through."

 "You really need to work on your bedside manner," she countered.

 A soft snigger from the fur now sat in front of her.

"Do I have much time?"

 "More time than you think," he sniggered. "Assuming your Pharaoh can get you to the Living Waters."

 A lip curled in confusion.

 "The Forgotten Oasis is filled with many miracles. It is why humans have longed to find it. The Living Waters, is not just 'Holy Water' as they think, its's a living, breathing organism that brought the Forgotten Oasis to life."

 "It is why we are able to communicate with each other, and you. You are a part of the Oasis," the breeze swirled in from her right.

 "I am part of the Oasis?"

 "It is where you were born."

 "She created you. He created you. This is your home."

 "It is why you are able to heal yourself so rapidly," came a gust from her left.

 "Heal? If that were true, I wouldn't be here right now in cloud-cuckoo land, while some poison Is killing me."

 "Death is the biggest lie that humans tell themselves," the scrape of grain scratched against her skin and the smell of petals danced around her. She heard fruit fall and leaves tumble under their wind. Sand dunes reformed, changing the land into something vastly different. "Nothing ever dies, it simply transforms into another mode of life. Death is a lie, there is only life. Every grain of sand is as alive as I am."

 "You think you're alive?" She couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice.

 "What is life?" A chill on her right.

 "Is It breathing? We are what you breath." A tingle on her left. "Perhaps you think it's the sense of touch?"

 "I feel every piece of fruit and leaf that I guide to the ground. Or maybe, being alive is the ability to choose?"

 "Free will?" The breezes teased.

 "If that's the case," the winds encircled her, blowing her hair high above her, it felt like hands were running their boneless fingers through every strand, a feeling she would be happy to never experience again. "You are not truly alive, yourself."

 She heard an frustrated groan from the man in front, his head turning away. "The Western and Eastern winds… Both powerful sources. They will tell you how it is, no remorse."

 "Is it true?" she asked, curious. "That nothing ever dies."

 "If it were not true, I certainly wouldn't still be here, guarding, watching," he turned to her, a friendly smile on his face, and added softly. "Waiting."

 Her hand extended, she wanted to know what he looked like.

To feel who he was. He was so familiar.

"If you wish to see who I am," the sound of crunching came as he stood to his feet. "Open your eyes."

"But, they are open," she mumbled softly.

"No, your human eyes are open," his words were commanding and strong. "Open your eyes."

Zahra took a minute to try and understand what he was saying. Fuck it, worth a shot.

She reached down to the pool of energy within her, trying to find the way she had opened her other senses.

Further and further down the well of energy she dug, searching for that thing she was missing.

Down, down. Deeper and deeper.

How far will I go? How far can I go?

 Suddenly, she found something. Her senses suggested it was a child. No, a young girl, a woman. She could hear her muffled sobs of pain.

 Her hand extended in front of her.

 "Hey, are you okay?" She called out.

 Slowly, the girl lifted her head as her hand delicate smoothed over her forehead and into her hair.

 Zahra gasped in something that wasn't shock or fright. It was realisation.

Her eyes shot open, blurry like fog, she couldn't perceive much around her. Except for bed sheets. White, crisp bedsheets.

There was a smell she didn't recognise, one which almost stung her nostrils and caught in her throat, all around her were rhythmic beats.

As she waited, she started to get more control of her body. She felt needles, tubes and something clasping onto one of her fingers. Her vision didn't lift, her mind was pounding as though stuck in a vice. Any movement of her head ached mercilessly.

Suddenly a familiar smell wafted up her nose. Lilies, she realised.

Fighting against the migraine she turned her head. The pain made her want to throw up, but she had to see, she had to know where she was.

Then, sat next to her bed, she saw a woman, toying with a brilliant blue petal.

The dark flowing locks, the delicate caramel skin, the boundless dark eyes. She knew her in an instant.

"M-mother…" she forced out the word.

Even through her blurred vision, she could feel her crystal clear eyes settle on her. A soft, loving gaze she hadn't felt in a long time. A mother's love.

"Zahra, are you awake? It's me, I'm here."

Grasping her hand, she felt so happy. Real, it all felt so real.

Every weight on her suddenly lifted at her touch. In this moment she knew, that everything was going to be okay. Now that she was here, everything would work out. Even in her current state, she felt ready to take on the world.

"I'm ready," she said whispered to herself, her voice hoarse.

Her mother smiled at her, more precious than gold.

"Do you remember what I used to tell you?"

"People will always… underestimate m- me."

She tasted the pride that beamed from her, the grip on her hand tightened in reassurance. "And you must make them pay."

"I-I will."

 There was a sudden whoosh that made her eyes dart from side to side and her stomach do flips. She felt a sudden, very real urge to vomit.

"Now, open your eyes."

Cautiously, she did...